


Guardian

by Inkblot9



Category: Tintin - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angels, Falling In Love, Family History, Guardian Angels, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, POV First Person, Past Character Death, Protection, Protection Magic, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-31 08:24:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3970858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkblot9/pseuds/Inkblot9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tintin, a stalwart sailor on Sir Francis' <i>Unicorn</i>, is slain in the battle with Red Rackham and his pirate crew. In death, he is presented with a choice: ascend to the stars with the rest of heroes past, or remain bound on Earth as the guardian angel of the Haddock line.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guardian

I will never forget that night.

The pirates swarmed the _Unicorn_ like bees to a hive—and her crew was the nectar they sapped. It might as well have only been a minute that transformed our peaceful sail into a blur of pure chaos that even the great and admirable Sir Francis Haddock could not conquer. I myself did my utmost to protect what we held dear, as did every _Unicorn_ man.

But it was not enough. One moment I was thrashing my sword in a reckless attempt at the throats of our enemies—for no longer did thoughts of pacifism matter to me, nothing mattered above saving the ship and her Captain. The next, it was I who was lying motionless on the deck, bleeding out my life's energy beside my numerous fallen comrades.

It was a voice calling my name that roused me.

"Captain…?" I groaned, hoping against all odds that I had survived, that we had won, that Sir Francis had come to congratulate his men on their valiant defense of the King's ship…

"No," the voice replied, though not harshly. I blinked open my eyes and felt my strength returning to me. Surprised, I sat up and found myself free of all wounds I had sustained in the battle. I rose to my feet—and that was when I realized the truth. Rather than standing, I was levitating a meter or so above the spot I had fallen. Below me lay motionless body after body strewn across the wooden floor…including my own.

I was dead. We all were.

At last I turned to the man who had spoken to me. He was not somebody I recognized, but now I know I shall always remember his appearance. Tall and blond, with a pointed nose and warm, friendly eyes, I could sense he meant no ill will to me. Most striking of all, once I caught sight of them, were the billowing white feathered wings sprouting from his shoulder-blades.

I gasped in awe. "Who…who are you?"

"Greetings, noble Tintin," the stranger replied. "I am called Georges. I am your guardian angel, and I have been watching over you for longer than you can imagine."

An angel? Truly, an angel? It was incredible! The questions I could ask him, the stories he surely had to tell! I was about to launch myself into a thousand inquiries, but then one single pressing question stopped me.

"S-sir Francis," I spluttered. "Is he—"

"He is alive," Georges informed me. "The only man to survive, I'm afraid."

My mind reeled. He was safe, thank goodness, but surely not for much longer. Red Rackham wanted Francis' blood—that much was obvious. All _I_ wanted was to help him, but how could I do that if I was dead?

The angel's voice thrust me from my thoughts. "Are you ready?" he asked me.

"Ready? Ready for…what, exactly?"

"To take your place among the stars. You were a good man in your mortal life, Tintin. Now, in death, your spirit belongs in the skies with all the heroes of past ages."

He reached out his hand to me, but I shoved it away.

"No!" I cried. "No, I can't leave! I can't leave him! He needs my help!"

Georges' eyes widened.

"The Captain," I choked out, "Sir Francis Haddock…he'll be killed! Isn't there anything I can do?"

My guardian furrowed his brow in thought. A moment's pondering later, he murmured, "There is one further option, but it does have its own set of consequences."

"Tell me," I begged. "Please, I'll do anything. This ship, her Captain, the King's honor—they're all that matter to me. I can't let them die. I simply _can't_. Sir Francis took me in when I was nothing more than a cheeky stowaway, and this all has become my only home."

"I know, young one. Your devotion is true, and always has been. Therefore, I will offer to you this choice."

I stared up at him, waiting.

"You may, rather than ascending to the stars, keep your spirit here on Earth. You may assume the position of the Haddock guardian angel."

"Yes," I gasped out, "yes, I'll do it, I—"

"Not so fast." Georges put his hand on my shoulder. "If you manage to save Sir Francis, you will be bound to the Haddock line until the death of its last descendant. For centuries, perhaps even longer, it will be your sole duty to guard them, to protect them, to help them in any way you can. However, you shall never show them your true form until they pass out of life. You will watch over them, ever silently, no matter what."

I thought this over, for how long, I don't know. To protect an entire family line, for as long as it might live…that was an awful lot of responsibility for one man—er, spirit. But I couldn't give up on all I held dear. Something burning inside of me told me the Haddocks would need my help, and on more than one occasion.

"I'll do it," I said. I had never been more sure of anything.

"Very well." Georges nodded. "If anyone can fulfill this task, I believe it's you. Now turn around."

I obeyed, and the angel traced a circle on my back with one finger. When he floated away from me, up sprang my own pair of pure white wings.

I was an angel now too. I knew my duty, and I silently swore to uphold it as best I could.

That was when my own guardian began to drift upwards.

"Hey! Where are you going?" I called out.

"My Earth-bound business is finished now," he answered. "You were the last of your line, my son, and now my time has come to join the sky."

I nodded in understanding—and then I stopped. "Wait a minute…did you say 'son'?"

"Oh, dearest Tintin…Yes, I am your father. I apologize I could not care for you as a living man, and you had to grow up an orphan. But know this: I have been looking after you every day, and I am incredibly proud of the man you became. You will be a wonderful guardian as well. I am sure of it."

He touched my cheek, a gesture so tender I had never before felt. "I will still watch over you always," was the last thing he said before he vanished, and a flash of new light in the night sky indicated he had taken his place in the stars.

* * *

What did I do after that? My first act as the Haddocks' guardian was to aid Sir Francis in his final duel against the pirate lord Red Rackham. Though he had no idea I was there, I hovered beside him, encouraging him onward and lending him strength.

When the deed was done and Rackham was killed, I followed the former Captain, from the island where he spent the next two years to the grand château where he spent the rest of his life.

Sometimes the desire to show myself and speak with him was overwhelming. I soon found that the closest I could come to manifesting myself was in the form of a small white dove. I would sit in the windowsill of Francis' bedroom and sing. He never knew the true meaning of any of it.

I watched over Sir Francis, his wife and sons, and their sons and daughters in turn. At the death of each, I could finally introduce myself, but then I led them to the heavens, never able to follow. My place remained on Earth, as I had vowed all those years ago.

Sir Francis was amazed to see me again when his time came. I was humbled by his wife's thanks for my service. His sons were less than grateful—always squabblers, those three—but it mattered little. My sacred duty was just that, and I would uphold it no matter what. Not only because I had no choice, but because of my deep-set love for the Haddocks, for their home of Marlinspike Hall, and everything surrounding.

Bit by bit the Haddock line decayed until only one remained. The last descendant was a man named Archibald, and right from the start I took a liking to him. He reminded me so much of Sir Francis, in looks as well as temperament, and yet he was endearing in his own way. Despite his issues with the bottle, he was a loyal and generous diehard of a man, truly someone to be admired.

I'll be the first to admit it: I loved him, in a way beyond my care for the rest of his family. With him I felt strongly enough to further push the limits of my service as his angel. I used all the magic within me to help to free him from the binds of his treacherous ship's crew. Later on, I guided him to uncover the secret of the _Unicorn_ and the pirate's treasure that his ancestor had left behind, returning him to the manor of Marlinspike where he belonged. I saw him gain many friends, many riches, and many blessings, and I could not have been prouder of him.

One cheerful spring morning, I allowed myself to shift into the visible form of the dove. I flew just above Archibald as he took his morning walk, wondering what would come of it if he happened to notice me.

When he sat down at a park bench to catch his breath, I dared to alight upon his shoulder. I began to sing, chirping out a similar tune to the one I had once trilled to Francis centuries ago.

"Blistering barnacles!" the man exclaimed; the language was another thing that had been handed down throughout his bloodline. "Hello there, little 'un! What're you doing, eh?"

He reached out a hand to me, then. Any regular bird would have fluttered away in fear, but I allowed him to approach me. He seemed surprised that I stayed.

"Well, you're a pretty little thing, aren't you?" Archibald laughed, warm and hearty. "I've never seen a dove with orange on him before."

He was referring to the small feathers on my head that resembled the quiff of ginger hair I had in my usual form; this marking set me apart from the normal like of the species, a hint I wasn't quite what I seemed.

We stayed like that for a while, both of us allowing ourselves to relax. Guiltily, I felt pleasure within from having him touch me, and I wished—not for the first time—that I could come to him as I truly was and profess everything.

But it was not to be, and when at last he stood up, I soared away. I could feel his pale eyes on my back as I disappeared into the clouds.

* * *

Years passed in that same manner. I had such a storm of emotions brewing within me, not least of which was the longing I felt for this man. Was it right, to be in love with him? To wholeheartedly adore somebody I could never touch, to have these feelings cloud my ethereal duties? I was never sure.

He had left his bedroom window open on a particularly warm night, and I roused him from his late slumber by transforming once again into my discernible form and brushing my head against his thick black beard.

"Thundering typhoons!" He was startled, but not angry. "You again! H—hey there!"

As he sat up in bed, he stroked the feathers under my chin with his index finger, and I cooed back at him happily.

"Say…you're not a normal dove, are you? You let me touch you…and you've been around for years."

I bobbed my head up and down in a sort of nod.

"Just what are you, eh, you rascal?"

I couldn't answer, not in words. Instead I chirped again, attempting at least to make the call sound like my name. " _Tin-tin, tin-tin, tin-tin-tin…_ "

"Well, little Tin-Tin-Tin, I must admit it's nice to see you, whatever it is you are."

If it was possible for a bird to smile, I would have.

* * *

In his seventy-seventh year, I knew Archibald's time was coming. Though a certain invention by his scientist friend had kept him off the alcohol, his health had deteriorated through aging and the like nonetheless. It was only to be expected; he was human, just as I had been. Death was inevitable.

Suddenly, it hit me that this man was in fact the last of the Haddocks. Once he passed on, my job on Earth would be complete, and I, too, would reach the heavens at last.

However, I found some part of me didn't _want_ to leave Earth. My spirit was content here. I had grown to love Marlinspike and everyone in and around it. And even with every Haddock reaching his piece of the sky, there were still inhabitants of the Hall and friends of theirs who needed looking-after. I had spent so much time as a guardian that now I couldn't imagine myself as anything else.

On the day of his death, I sat invisibly on Archibald's bed, touching his hand in a way he could not feel yet, waiting out the hours before he took his last shuddery breath.

I called his name softly, once, twice, three times before his spirit opened his eyes. When he saw me, he stared at me just as his forefathers had, as I'm sure I had ogled upon my father when I met him.

"Who are you?" he finally managed to choke out, from bearded lips that were no longer graced with grey hairs but healthy raven black as they had been in his prime.

"Greetings, dear Captain," I murmured, addressing him by his naval title for the first time. "I am your guardian angel, and I have been watching over you and your kin for a very long time."

"My…angel?" He held a hand to the side of his head, and I gave him space to sit up beside me. I could sense he was going through the same shock I had all that time ago; it's not an easy realization to find out that you have died.

"How can that be?" Archibald muttered at last. "I'm a man of little religion…I've never really believed in…I mean, you're here now, I can see that, but why come to me when I…"

"There are no rules dictating who we can and cannot watch over. My kind are here for anyone and anything in need of our help. I made a promise long ago upon my own death to keep an eye over your family. I was a member of the _Unicorn_ 's crew when I was alive, you see, and I couldn't bear to abandon all I cared about."

"Incredible," he whispered. Soon enough he asked, "What's your name? Do you…do you have a name?"

 "Certainly." I nodded. "I'm called Tintin. It's a pleasure to introduce myself at last."

"Tin…tin? _Tintin?!_  Wait a minute, were you the—you were the…the—"

He gawked at my hair, a telltale sign of the truth, and I allowed myself a laugh. "The dove? Yes, that was me! That's the only form I could take that would allow you to actually see me while you were alive."

"You really have been watching over me, all this time…"

We sat there together for another minute or two, reflecting on the years gone by. Soon I knew that at last the time had come for us to pass on. I was truly going to miss this beautiful place.

I squeezed his hand in mine. "Are you ready?" I queried, just as my father did.

"Ready for what?" he asked, just as I had.

"It is time for you to ascend, to take your place in the stars. All good people like yourself reach the sky when they pass on from mortality."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Archibald held up his hands in a gesture telling " _stop!_ " "Do I have to leave already? We just met! I barely know you—not in the way you know me. Must we be separated so soon? Can't you tell me more about yourself, about…about angels, and life and death, and all of that?"

I was surprised at his answer, and yet I was pleased. I had so much I could tell him, and if he was willing to listen…

"I suppose we could stay a little while longer."

* * *

Two pairs of white wings soar through the night above the tranquil village of Moulinsart. To those below, the dance of these two angelic lovers would appear as shooting stars.

We are the guardians of Marlinspike Hall and all within and surrounding. Neither of us wished to abandon what had become our home and our dear friends. Even with the last of the Haddock line passed into the realm of death, there is still so much work to be done, so many who could use a little assistance in one way or another. We will never leave them. This is our duty, and we welcome it with open arms.

We are together as one at last. This is the path we chose, for ourselves and everyone else we care for. Archibald and I will bless this place forever.


End file.
